While I was on the mushroom foray with the Maine Mycological Association last week I was on the lookout for several mushrooms that are easy to identify and always edible and safe. Ones where i couldn't screw up and poison myself. Sure, most inedible or poisonous mushrooms will only make you sick, or wish you were dead. very few are toxic and will kill you. But being conservative in my mushroom foraging is smart, and I recommend to everyone not to eat a mushroom, even if you are 99% sure it's safe. You have to KNOW 100%, preferably with an expert helping you positively identify a type the first few times.

That said, there are a few mushrooms that are so unique, safe, edible, and good; that even a newbie can approach them with a large degree of certainty. But even in these cases I can only be responsible for myself. So please educate yourself and go mushroom hunting with those who are experienced. Or else just pick, identify, but don't eat.

One type of mushroom that is easy to identify is the Puffball. There are quite a few types, but if you have a guide you can pretty easily tell which are which. When immature or mature they are round balls anywhere from 1/2" to a foot or more in the case of the Giant Puffball, Calvatia gigantea. The Giant Puffball has even been known to grow much larger and a huge blob five feet and 55 pounds is on record. I found some small Pear Puffballs on my foray, and someone found a 6" Giant Puffball and were kind enough to give me half. Just remember that there are some types of poisonous puffballs out there, and that immature Amanita's can look like a puffball from the outside. Although if you cut them in half you can see that the Amanita has the outline of the developing mushroom, but a puffball is solid white all the way through.

The Pear Puffballs I found, Lycoperdon pyriforme, were easily identified. These are considered 'choice', 'highly rated', and 'excellent' in some guides. So I collected a handful to cook up and try later.

Another mushroom that is easy to identify is the Black Trumpet, also called Black Chanterelle; Craterellus fallax, and Craterellus cornucopiodes. It is not just 'choice', but truly fantastic. It has a floral, fragrant, fruity aroma and taste. the aroma can sometimes be so fragrant that you may smell them before you see them. I was walking along a path and found a nice group of them. As I was taking photos up close I caught the aroma. After wards I was walking along a dozen feet away when I smelled the same fragrance much stronger. I looked down and realized I was standing in a huge patch of them. their color and shape is perfect camouflage among dead leaves, but soon i could see them everywhere. i picked some, then some more. Soon I had filled my bags, and hadn't even dented the supply. I was ecstatic. Black trumpets are not only great cooked up fresh, they are easy to dry for long term storage, and even improve in taste when dried.

When I got home I cubed up some of the Giant Puffball and threw it in a pan with the Pear Puffballs, and sauteed them up in butter; with just a hint of fresh ground pepper and a sprinkle of red Hawaiian sea salt. I ate some like that and then sauteed up some more, added some fantastic Black Truffle pate made by La Rustichella in Italy, more butter, and tossed it with fresh spaghetti. Then I ground up some prime Pecorino Romano and sprinkled it on top. It was great, to say the least.

The Black Trumpets I dried for later use. When I weighed them I found I had collected a bit over THREE POUNDS. What a fantastic haul. When dry a few days later, they weighed all of four ounces, but filled a gallon zip lock bag. I can't wait to throw them in soups, stews, and other dishes.